Scotch Violet

2 oz Japanese Whisky, Suntory Toki blended
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
3⁄4 oz Crème Yvette
1⁄4 oz Honey syrup
1 twst Lemon peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, strain into a rocks glass with single rock. Garnish with a lemon wheel or twist.

Notes

There are many versions of this recipe, and the origins are unknown (according to Liquor.com) but most call for more lemon, and use Crème de Violette, which is good, but I think it's a better balance with a bit less lemon and actually find that Crème Yvette works much better and has a richer fuller violet flavor (less "soapy"). Scotch is up to you - I've made it with Cardhu as well as Glenrothes 12 yr Speyside and Suntory (best choice). This is one of my most favorite cocktails ever, and I have probably done more variations on this than any other. Please comment with your own variations...

History

Unknown?

Picture of Scotch Violet
© Dave Hebb 2018
Yields Drink
Year
2018
Authenticity
Altered recipe
Creator
Dave Hebb
Source reference

This is my version: https://www.drinking-thinking.com/post/scotch-violets

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(5 ratings)
From other users
  • Used a couple drops of Liquid Lakanto sweetener in place of the honey-more neutral & allowed other flavors to shine.
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  • Smoke and Mirrors (Alex Day) — Blended Scotch, Islay Scotch, Absinthe, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Mint
  • Smokescreen — Islay Scotch, Herbal liqueur, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Mint
  • The Sultan — Blended Scotch, Islay Scotch, Lemon juice, Honey syrup, Pomegranate juice, Orange flower water
drinkingandthinking commented on 3/29/2025:

** OP Update 2025 ** It's way better with creme de violette and doesn't need the honey syrup. Standard daisy proportions, if there is such a thing.

Archbishop

1 1⁄2 oz Rum, Smith & Cross
1 oz Campari
1⁄2 oz Herbal liqueur, Green Chartreuse
1 twst Orange peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Make like an Old Fashioned. Orange twist is very important here!

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Brandon Bramhall of Attaboy
Source reference

https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/dswp0i/feeling_bold_tonight…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(8 ratings)
From other users
  • Bumped the Chartreuse to .75 and (mistakenly) used Cynar instead of Campari. Very nice.
  • Very (and predictably) intense. I built it; would probably give it a long stir and strain next time.
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  • Toe Meets Leather — Nicaraguan Rum, Bermuda rum, Amaro, Bitters, Sweet vermouth, Coffee bean
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grica421 commented on 8/24/2021:

I like this, but I think the chartreuse gets lost a bit more than I would like. I would maybe go 1.5 oz, .75 oz, .75 oz, or maybe keep the Campari where it's at and just bump the green c. Love the name.

yarm commented on 2/25/2023:

The Bartender's Choice app lists Attaboy Nashville and 2017.

bkemp1984 commented on 5/28/2023:

I like this a lot. I agree the Chartreuse is a bit lost, would maybe slightly up it, at least a fat 1/2 oz. I used Appleton Estate and Gran Classico

J Gaze

2 oz Rum, Wray & Nephew Overproof
1 oz Lime juice
1 oz Pineapple syrup
2 ds Bitters, Angostura
Instructions

Shake, strain, garnish with lime wheel on rim

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Unknown
Creator
Ian Cargill from Zig Zag Cafe, Seattle
Source reference

https://imbibemagazine.com/rum-cocktail-j-gaze/

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3 stars
(2 ratings)
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Preceptor

1 1⁄2 oz Scotch
3⁄4 oz Port (Tawny or Ruby)
3⁄8 oz Zucca (Or Sfumato)
3⁄8 oz Campari
2 ds Orange bitters
Instructions

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Notes

Originally made 1.5 / .5 / .5 / .5 which was delightfully bitter. I figured that upping the port and/or decreasing the amari would make it agreeable to more people. My other recipe idea was 2 / .5 / .25 / .25 which would make for a drier drink.

History

I had been thinking about how well Campari and rabarbaro (such as Zucca and Sfumato) can join forces to make a complex bitter. Since Scotch and rabarbaro pair so well in drinks like the Caustic Negroni, I began to think about classic whisky cocktails and ended up on the port-containing Chancellor from the 1956 Esquire Drink book. With Phil Ward's Baltasar and Blimunda (a Negroni of sorts with port) in mind, I altered the Chancellor to include these two amari. For a name, I kept with the academic theme that runs in Chancellor-like drinks.

Yields Drink
Year
2019
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Boston, MA.
Source reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2019/11/preceptor.html

Curator rating
5 stars
Average rating
4 stars
(8 ratings)
From other users
  • Made with 1/2 oz of the amaro, kept the port at 3/4 with tawny port, use highland park 12 for the scotch... really good
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Kindred Cocktails commented on 11/12/2019:

Used Tomatin, Sfuamato and vintage port at 2.5 / .5 / .5 / .5. Excellent. Would try again with a touch of Islay too.

Handsome Bob

2 oz Bourbon
1⁄2 oz Cynar
1⁄4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1⁄4 oz Pineapple syrup
2 ds Bitters, Angostura
Instructions

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Notes

Funky, fruity, nutty, winter spiced, and whiskey.

History

A discussion about the importance of Saratoga, NY, to the cocktail scene of the 19th century brought up the infamous "Dude Off" between Evander Berry Wall and Robert "Handsome Bob" Hillard. Hillard lost and Wall walked away with the title of the "King of the Dudes," but I wanted to pay tribute through the lesser known Saratoga (Jerry Thomas' 1862 one that is a Vieux Carre minus Benedictine and Peychaud's was earlier and better known today) -- that one being Harry Johnson's 1882 Brandy Old Fashioned with pineapple syrup and Maraschino as the sweeteners.

Yields Drink
Year
2019
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Boston, MA
Source reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2019/04/handsome-bob.html

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(6 ratings)
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Mad Hatter

2 oz Rye
3⁄4 oz Simple syrup
3⁄8 oz Lime juice
3⁄8 oz Lemon juice
1 rinse Absinthe
Instructions

Shake, strain into teacup with large cube of ice, grate nutmeg on top

Yields Drink
Year
1951
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Ted Saucier in Bottoms Up
Source reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRQObYJmVmo

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(2 ratings)
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Doom & Gloom

1 oz Virgin Islands Rum, Cruzan Blackstrap
1⁄4 oz Navy strength rum, Smith & Cross
1 oz Amaro Nardini
1 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Punt e Mes
1 Grapefruit peel
Instructions

Stir, strain into old fashioned glass with a large cube or sphere. Garnish with a grapefruit swath.

Yields Drink
Year
2019
Authenticity
Your original creation
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(7 ratings)
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HallA commented on 2/19/2023:

Same complaint is always that with Cruzan blackstrap.. too sweet, too much syrup. Other balance is interesting.

Shawn C commented on 6/25/2023:

Quite nice, 4+/5. The only vice is that it is rather sweet (but not cloyingly so, and the richness works with the dark/burnt molasses.) Jamaican rums and other dark rums can be sweeter-than-optimal in cocktails that lack balancing citrus acidity. I ordered the Cruzan just to try this recipe, and was pleasantly surprised by the rum's balance of the darker/bitter molasses, alcohol heat, and the sugar level, it really works for me. Lemonhart 151 is so much drier, harsher by comparison, likely because it has nearly twice the proof. To reduce sweetness of the drink, one could replace the the Smith & Cross, and a portion of the Cruzan with a gold rum.

Golden Finch

1 1⁄2 oz Pineapple rum, Plantation Stiggins' Fancy
3⁄4 oz Galliano
3⁄4 oz Crème de Banane, Giffard
3⁄4 oz Lime juice
1 ds Orange bitters, Scrappy's Orange
Instructions

Shake all ingredients with ice for 15 seconds, strain into coupe. Either no garnish, or garnish with lime twist or lime wheel.

Notes

Originally made with my own pineapple infused rum but later switched to the Stiggins' Fancy (it's simply better than anything I can infuse myself).

History

Part of my 2015 "Daiquiri-palooza" of weekly daiquiri riffs for an entire year. I stumbled on the Yellow Bird recipe like I suspect most have, trying to figure out what the &%$@ to do with that nearly full bottle of Galliano at the back of the bar. Saw several recipe variations, including those with pineapple juice, creme de banane in place of the curacao, etc. so I incorporated those flavors into a single drink, as well as some ratio tweaks, to make it more daiquiri-esque like the original instead of a beach drink juice bomb.

Yields Drink
Year
2015
Authenticity
Your original creation
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(3 ratings)
From other users
  • Sweet and a bit too fruity for my taste, particularly the banana, but well balanced. 3.5
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Concord Sazerac

2 oz Rye, Rittenhouse 100
1⁄2 oz Simple syrup (Concord Grape)
2 ds Peychaud's Bitters
1 twst Lemon peel
1 rinse Pastis, Herbsaint
Instructions

Stir, strain into Herbsaint-rinsed down glass, twist and drop/discard

Notes

Concord grape syrup is 1:1 grape juice and sugar blitzed and strained through a coffee filter.

Yields Drink
Year
2019
Authenticity
Your original creation
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails

Ask the Dust

2 oz Byrrh
1 1⁄2 oz Mezcal
1⁄2 oz Crème de Cacao (I used Tempus Fugit.)
2 ds Bitters, Angostura
1 bsp Absinthe (A scant bsp, a little less than 1/8 oz.)
Instructions

Build in a snifter (or single Old Fashioned) glass. Briefly stir to mix without ice. Note: This is a room temperature drink.

Notes

Scaffas have everything going for them to fulfill the 1806 definition of a cocktail except for the water component. They are served room temperature with no dilution.

History

The recipe started with thinking about Eric Seed (Haus Alpenz)'s declaration that Byrrh and mezcal are a stunning duo. The end result tasted better before dilution and chilling and ended up on the menu as a Scaffa. We used whatever mezcal was our well mezcal then, but I used Chichicapa for the photo to make it into Del Maguey's drink of the month in late 2014. Also, named after a John Fante book.

Yields Drink
Year
2014
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Russell House Tavern, Cambridge, MA.
Source reference

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2014/09/ask-dust.html

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(9 ratings)
From other users
  • Similar to Reluctant Saint w/o Campari
  • Bitter and warm. Love the reluctant saint (similar drink) better. — ★★★
  • Smoke and tobacco on nose, and later on finish. Red grapes and raspberries in sip. Some leather, some metal.
  • Ferry Beach boomerang?
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bza commented on 12/15/2021:

Funny, this is similar to a scaffa I just created that is mezcal, Carpano Antica, cacao, and Génépy. Randomly stumbled on this today! I added a couple of drops of saline and a bit of water to open it up. I'll have to try the absinthe approach, but I love the Génépy/Cacao combo, especially warm.

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